Keke had rolled her eyes at me so much the day before that I’d lost count. And anytime she saw me alone with Lola, she’d interrupt, only to talk about herself or something someone did that reminded her of Bailey.
She was too much for Lola, and I wished Lola would fucking say something about it already. A friend with no boundaries is unhealthy . . . but perhaps I should digress, so as not to seem like the world’s biggest hypocrite, right?
The path of the trail was a simple one, and I could see why Keke jogged on it. It was a straight shot to the lake. Not only that, but there was a cliff where, not far beyond it, you could watch the sun rise above a shimmering ocean.
Below the cliff, though—like, right below it—were jagged rocks. The rocks weren’t too far down. In fact, if you took a few steps to the right, you could climb on the rocks. You’d have to sit close to the edge of the cliff to witness the sunset from the top of the cliff.
That particular cliff was amazing—a beholder of beauty and destruction, something I could relate to all too well. Get too close to the edge and you’ll see the ugly, scary rocks at the bottom. But stand back just enough, keep your distance, and you’ll only see the beauty of it.
I kept my steps light, spotting Keke’s white T-shirt ahead. She was running with her headphones plugged into her ears. She couldn’t hear me. I was sure of it because I could hear her music from where I was, about twenty steps behind her.
She did a light jog, nothing too intense. I could keep up.
Fifteen steps.
I lowered my baseball cap.
Keke’s panting grew louder.
I grew closer.
Ten steps.
She rapped one of the lines from the song she was listening to out loud. J. Cole lyrics. I liked J. Cole . . . but I didn’t like Keke.
Six steps.
Could she feel my presence?
Two steps.
Feel someone breathing down her back?
The cliff was ahead of her, but to be wise, she’d make a right turn, follow the path to the lake. Keke wasn’t the type to watch sunrises or sunsets, let alone interrupt her life to witness basic, everyday nature.
But maybe I’d make her look this one time.
One.
Before she could prepare to make the right turn, my palms were pressed to her back to shove her forward with all my might. She made an audible gasp and whipped her head to the left to look over her shoulder to try to see me.
The push wasn’t hard enough. She caught herself and began to turn to see her culprit, but I couldn’t let her see me. She would recover, tell Lola it was me. Ruin all my plans.
I grunted and shoved her harder on the back, and she screamed, tripping forward and falling.
Falling.
Falling.
It only took a split second for her to fall and land, but in those moments leading up to the big fall, I couldn’t help but watch her. Her back was to me, arms flailing, trying to stop her impending doom.
She’d never know I did it. It could have been anyone at the camp, but when she recovered, I was sure she’d pin it on me. The new girl. Her biggest threat with Lola.
But what proof would she have? She’d only accuse me, right? She could scream about it until her face was blue, or maybe Lola would assume Keke had fallen for attention. It would be like Keke to do something drastic for all to think and talk about her.
I rushed to the edge of the cliff right before Keke hit the rocks.
A loud thwack as the back of her head hit the sharp edge of a boulder. Blood instantly pooled around her head, dripping down the curves and edges of gray and silver stone.
Oh shit.
A breath left my body.
Shit, Marriott. I think I pushed her a little too hard.
She was only supposed to fall, hit her head, break a limb or two, and be rushed off to the hospital. But from this angle, she didn’t appear to be breathing. There was too much blood.
Oh my God.
She looked . . . she looked dead.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Run.
My thoughts screamed at me. I couldn’t stay here much longer. Someone would come by eventually. One of the park rangers, maybe. They’d see Keke’s body. Sound the alarm. I couldn’t be spotted here when that happened.
Run.
I ran away as quickly as I could, finishing on the trail that led to the lake. No way was I going back to the cabins. I’d act as if I got breakfast early—a quick pudding at the Night Mommy cart by the cafeteria for the pregnant women with insomnia.
I made it to the Night Mommy cart and opened the top lid, panting wildly. I’d run fast—faster than I ever had before.